What’s Up With UNCAC?

Michael Peyrefitte

The ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption by Belize in 2016 was commemorated earlier this month, amid criticism that government hasn’t done much by moving the process forward.  It is a position held by several organizations, including the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  This morning, Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte whose office is in charge of the UNCAC implementation provided an update.

Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney General

“The United Nations has told us that it makes no sense for us to engage in any process to further UNCAC or any projects until we have the full report.  We’ve received an executive summary as to what their recommendations would be in general, but the detailed report will be the one that tells us specifically what they will recommend so that our laws can be UNCAC ready.  Before that, then what can we do, what would we be promoting, what would we be pushing when we don’t know what they will say.  Tuvalu and Haiti, they have to come in with their final reports and then the UN puts it together, sends it down.  The United Nations Development Program in Belize has told us, they are telling us, it makes sense we don’t have any project meeting or any other thing until we get the detailed summary and I know the Chamber of Commerce and them, they love anything foreign.  So tell go to the UNDP and ask them why.”

Reporter

“So you have absolutely no idea why the report isn’t in yet?”

Michael Peyrefitte

“No idea, nor any control.  Belize is one of the only nations, I think maybe one or two, we have never missed a deadline, we have never done anything that the UN didn’t want us to do and we’ve done everything that they’ve asked us to do.  We can’t do more than that.”